Unknown
by theYellowDello
Summary: Unable to hide it any longer, Ren finally admits his love to Kyoko. Now she must make the choice of a lifetime. Not explicit, but rated M for adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

He told her. With the threat of losing her forever looming over him, he had simply showed up at her doorstep one evening––and in the pouring rain––and told her.

He was too much of a coward to stay and observe her reaction.

Kyoko had gotten too beautiful, too magnificent, and he was terrified that if he held off any longer, she would move on to another life without him. Over the years, he had managed to lull her into a more intimate friendship. His love for her ached at him constantly, but they were friends, coworkers, and she was beginning to see herself as an equal to him.

She was an actress in her own right: professional, mature, intelligent, even brilliant. He had known she would grow to be these things and considered himself privileged that he could watch her do it. They had spent weekends together, talking, laughing, consulting one another's opinions about jobs, and suddenly, despite the spectacular immunity he had developed, he just couldn't stand it any longer. He needed to be with her for real.

So he did it. Walked up to her door, dripping wet from the sudden downpour, knocked and when she answered, began, "Kyoko, I love you. I have loved you for years, and I think it's time you know."

She had been speechless, of course. Even with Kanae and Yashiro constantly informing her that Ren loved her or that she loved him, she hadn't expected such a revelation. Heart pounding but frozen to stone, she had watched as Ren gave her a small nod, turned, and walked back to his car.

Now here she was, mirroring his own actions, standing outside his door, although she somehow had the presence of mind to bring an umbrella. Kyoko's thoughts swirled wildly. Why now? She had been working beside Tsuruga-san for years, as immune to his ravishing looks and captivating smile as a person could be, and now she suddenly realizes that that smile––the smile he gave to Mizuki in Dark Moon, the smile he still sometimes gave to her––was a smile of absolute love. Why was she suddenly realizing this now?

Ren opened his door and found himself facing Kyoko. Livid. Her posture tense, her fingers curled into tight fists, she shook with fury. She glared at him for a moment before storming past him and into his home.

This was not a reaction Ren had been expecting. He had imagined her terrified. He could picture her finding herself indifferent to his affection, maybe giving him an overly formal but sincere apology, announcing her unworthiness or what-not. He had thought she would hate him and perhaps never see him again. Having her here, facing him, and furious beyond all belief was not one of the scenarios he had braced himself for.

Perfectly baffled, he shut the door and followed Kyoko to his bedroom, the room she had apparently deemed the most suitable for a shouting match. She stood fuming, staring at him, as if waiting for him to say something, so he said the only thing that came to mind.

"Why are you so upset?"

Her face became a mask of frenzy.

"Why am I so upset? I'm upset because I can't live without you, and now you tell me you love me, and have loved me for years, and I still can't bear to let myself love!"

Her words were angry, but her tone was one of deep remorse.

"Ren, I love you and I can't stand it!"

Ren physically reeled back in shock at her confession and the depth behind her words. He had no response for her. She glared at him for a moment longer, until her anger suddenly melted away. She let out a huff.

"Look, I know it's not your fault. I just…It would have been easier for me if you had never told me. It would have been easier if I didn't have to face my feelings for you."

Ren, still lost for words, drew Kyoko into his arms. She came willingly.

Sadness overcoming her indignation, she told him, "I don't know how to love someone anymore. I don't know how to be with you."

"Kyoko, you know how to love better than anyone I've ever met. You don't see it, but I do."

He was gazing at her, looking at her with the absolutely most deadly King-of-the-Night look she had ever seen. Her heart wrenched painfully.

"Kyoko, I love you. Let me love you."

"Tsuruga-san...," she whimpered, pulling away. "I can't be that person. I don't know how."

He stared at her face as she began to shake and tears welled in her beautiful eyes. He couldn't stand seeing her in such pain. Wanting to hold her, being unable to–––it was too much. He grabbed her hand. He did not have it in his power to stop himself.

"Kyoko," he whispered, a note of sorrow penetrating his voice.

She pulled her hand away, stepping back. She was going back into her shell, and it was all his fault. He sat down heavily on the edge of his bed and let out about a year's worth of sighs. He had been so careful! So careful not to disturb her heart, but in the end it hadn't even mattered.

Kyoko looked up momentarily and was shocked to see Ren let his head fall, a look of disappointment and regret so piercing and deep across his features, it cut like a knife. They really were going to kill each other! This is what love does to people! Kyoko simply could not stand to see him that way, not while loving him.

She braved a step in his direction, tempted to reach out to try to give some form of comfort, before crumpling on the floor at his feet. She wept. Wept for the predicament that they now found themselves in. She knew she could not love him the way she needed to; she could not put her heart on the line like that again! Never. Never ever again.

But...

Ren. She loved him so much. She didn't want anything to hurt him, ever, and now she was hurting him more than anyone.

Instinct took over at that moment, and for a few seconds Kyoko was free of the heartbreaking sadness that weighed on her heart and mind. With no thought in her head but to give Tsuruga Ren a moment of comfort, she drew herself up onto the bed beside him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He responded immediately, pulling her close and burying his face in her hair.

"Please don't leave me," he begged, "I don't want to go on without you. Please, please stay."

Kyoko continued to weep, not knowing how to answer him. She didn't think she had an answer.

* * *

_Hey fellows._

_I'm back! Just couldn't resist some more Skip Beat fluff. We haven't been getting enough out of the manga lately... _

_This time, the story is set a few years after the manga. I thought it would be nice if Kyoko were a little older. I hope this story is...coherent. I'm writing at 2:30 am, so I can't be certain._

_ As always, whether I continue with this depends on the response I get, so if you'd like to see more, please leave a review! Thanks for reading!_

_Most sincerely,_

_theYellowDello_


	2. Chapter 2

_because with love, there is no promise of forever._

_because with love, there is no promise of happiness._

_there is only a sense of inevitability,_

_an unquenchable desire_

_no promise of happiness_

_only the promise,_

_that the feelings cannot be ignored._

* * *

**Ren. She loved him so much. She didn't want anything to hurt him, ever, and now she was hurting him more than anyone. **

**Instinct took over at that moment, and for a few seconds Kyoko was free of the heartbreaking sadness that weighed on her heart and mind. With no thought in her head but to give Tsuruga Ren a moment of comfort, she drew herself up onto the bed beside him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He responded immediately, pulling her close and burying his face in her hair.**

"**Please don't leave me," he begged, "I don't want to go on without you. Please, please stay."**

**Kyoko continued to weep, not knowing how to answer him. She didn't think she had an answer.**

As much as he hated it, Ren understood her point of view. He had seen her pain, a pain so great that her only coping method led her to rely on hate. He couldn't force her to change, only hope that she could learn to trust him and perhaps change on her own. So far, no luck.

"I'm so sorry Ren," she whispered into his shirt.

He didn't want to hear that. It was too final. If they loved each other, there had to be some possibility for happiness. She pulled away from him, and it killed him to let her go. She slowly stood up, and stalked to the front door of his apartment.

Kyoko gripped the door handle, but found herself unable to turn it. Cursing herself for her weakness, she looked back. Ren was standing statue still by the bedroom door, watching her. Her hand shook as she willed herself to make the final choice, to leave, concluding the chapter of her life story that was her relationship with Ren.

The memories would never go away, she thought as she watched him watching her. She would forever wonder. She would wonder what he was doing, who he was spending his time with. She would wonder, forever, what it would have been like if her heart had been whole. She wouldn't wonder whether they could have had something. She was determined not to wonder that. It hadn't ever been a real possibility, only a vague dream without sustenance, a whispery little thing. No, she wouldn't wonder about that. He was Tsuruga Ren, and she, she was alone.

But she didn't move. Something about turning that doorknob was too painful. She remained by the door, not exactly deliberating, more trying not to think at all and just do it, like ripping off a band-aid, but something more agonizing…maybe ripping out her fingernails. Don't think, just do it. Leave. Just leave and never see him again.

And just like that, she cracked, her resolve shattered.

She ran back to Ren because her entire existence depended on her being close to him at this moment and kissed him desperately as he reciprocated in kind. They kissed, and kissed, and kissed, no thought of an end in their minds. Hands roamed freely with unrestrained passion.

With his arms wrapped around her, his lips meeting hers, Kyoko felt breath return that she hadn't known she'd been missing. Retrospectively, the years of her broken heart must have been completely void of oxygen. How could she not have noticed?

She pulled Ren with her against the doorframe, letting her acting experience guide her, and as he instinctively secured her against the wall, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Kyoko…" he warned her, his hot breath hitting her neck

"Ren, I'm not sixteen anymore," she breathed.

He laughed at that.

"Yes, I can see that," he murmured, eyeing the way her hand had slipped up his shirt. "But––"

But her lips pressed against his with a burning urgency, and he really couldn't complain.

* * *

It was morning when Kyoko had her next coherent thought. For a moment, she was confused. The bed felt wrong. She peeked open her eyes to see brown hair obscuring her favorite face. Taking in her surroundings, she saw that she was still in Ren's room, her head resting on Ren's arm.

She surprised herself at her own calmness. Perhaps she was just too emotionally drained to panic right now. Glancing at the clock, she saw the time.

6:24 am.

Wow.

It was all very strange. She had come over to tell Ren that she couldn't handle love and somehow she ended up staying the night with him, and she didn't have much desire to leave.

Working with Tsuruga Ren over the years, Kyoko had grown to be very unguarded in his presence, partly just from the acting roles she had received (being an actress often meant having no sense of personal space with the people you work with), partly due to living with him as Setsu Heel, and partly her own increasing maturity. Even so, it was a little odd that they were so comfortable together. She supposed it was because she truly did enjoy being with him.

Kyoko suddenly recalled a conversation she once had with Ren on this very subject.

"_Ren, I know you said we're friends now," she began, and immediately amended as she saw that he was about to rebuke her, "I mean, of course I agree that we are friends, but I don't want to be taking up too much of your time. I see you practically every day, during almost all of your breaks."_

"_Kyoko, I promise you it's not a problem," Ren told her with a smile._

"_But don't you have other people you want to see? You shouldn't be neglecting your other friendships because of me."_

"_Well, what about you? You're spending all your time with me as well."_

"_But I like you most! That is, Moko-chan is my best friend, but she is always so busy and competitive, I don't want to bother her too much, and I am friends with all my coworkers at LME, but I prefer being with you."_

"_Is that so?" Ren's grin grew wider, to the point of being somewhat blinding._

_Shielding her eyes a bit, "Yes, it is so, but you still haven't answered my question."_

"_Well, it's the same for me I guess. Actually, you're probably my favorite person right now, to be with."_

"_But that's ridiculous! A high class actor like you would know lots of amazing and exciting people! I'm still mostly a newbie! I don't have anything special about me!"_

"_Doesn't matter. You're still my favorite person."_

"_What?"_

_And they had carried on like that for a while._

Ren stirred, shaking her out of her thoughts. Kyoko watched as his eyes opened and met hers.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he said back. He took in the appearance of the disheveled woman beside him and counted himself lucky.

Neither of them had much of any desire to get up.

Ren found his new situation incredible. That she would be here, and still on speaking terms with him was more than he could have ever hoped for. Never mind the sex.

"Good morning," she told him, a dimple forming on her cheek.

"Morning," he said back, rolling over to give her a short kiss, eyes never leaving hers.

They remained as stones for several long moments.

"We should probably get up."

"Yes, we should. We have work today."

Neither moved.

Eventually, though, the thought of work became too pressing. Ren took her hand and pulled her up off the bed with him. She modestly pulled the silky black sheet with her. He pulled on a pair of sweats.

"Breakfast?" Kyoko inquired.

"Sure. After that I should probably take you back to your apartment so you can change clothing. What time to you need to be on set?"

"Eight o'clock. You?"

"Eight thirty."

He fingered a lock of hair, currently long and auburn, that had fallen across her face, before tucking it behind her ear, and her breath caught.

Slipping on one of his long shirts, Kyoko headed to the kitchen and Ren headed to the bathroom to wash up for the day. Crepes for breakfast seemed easy enough, and soon Kyoko was pulling eggs out of the fridge, sifting flour and pouring milk into a glass bowl, whisking it all together. Halfway through chopping the fruit, she suddenly became aware of a pair of eyes watching her. Looking over at the doorway, she saw Ren leaning against the wall, watching her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just like watching you."

"I'm only cooking, it's not that interesting."

"It's interesting when you do it. You're beautiful."

Kyoko would swear that he only said things like that to make her squirm.

They ate together in relative silence, but that was normal for them. While they certainly had a some important things they needed to talk about, right now it was easier just to enjoy the company and worry later. Ren wouldn't allow Kyoko to do the dishes, promising that he would finish them after he took her home.

They drove to her apartment. Her keys jingled as she unlocked the door. Just as she pulled it open he grabbed hold of her wrist, turned her around and kissed her full on the mouth.

After an initial moment of surprise, she found herself kissing back. Her hand, which had landed on his chest as he'd twisted her to face him, snuck it's way up to his neck as he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Even in all her girlish, childhood imaginings, she had never imagined being kissed like this.

"Kyoko, whatever happens, I'll never stop loving you."

Exercising a huge amount of restraint, Ren scooped up her keys, which had slipped from her grasp at some point, pushing them into her fingers, and gave her rather shell-shocked person a small shove into her apartment.

Maybe a fresh start wasn't too much to ask.

Maybe a broken heart wasn't too hard to mend.

A fresh heart.

* * *

_So, um. This story was intended to be a one-shot. And then all of a sudden, seven months later, I get this new idea! So here it is. Hope you can enjoy it. The plot may go some weird places, as I hadn't really planned to extend it._

_-theYellowDello_


	3. Chapter 3

Kyoko went to her bedroom to gather a new change of clothes before heading to the shower. Kanae was already up doing her hair and make-up as she came in.

"Look who slept late today."

Kyoko carefully avoided making eye contact, but could not stop the light flush threatening her cheeks.

"Lucky for you, I made twice as much breakfast as usual. You can go ahead and eat the rest that's in the fridge."

"Oh, sorry Moko-san, but I'm not actually hungry this morning."

"Aren't you the one always extolling the virtues of eating a balanced diet? And here you are, skipping breakfast."

Kanae began to apply her top brand cosmetics that Kyoko had always admired. Even though she could afford her own fancy cosmetics now, Kanae, with her high-class sense of taste, always managed to get the most elegant ones.

"Oh no, Kanae-chan! It's just that I already ate!"

Her roommate glanced up at her and noticed something odd.

"Hey, did you sleep in your clothes? I've never actually seen you do that before. Mo, did you rehearse really late? I didn't see you before I went to bed."

"No, my rehearsal went as usual. There was just something I had to take care of that took a long time."

"Mmm…" Kanae hummed suspiciously as she adjusted a bobby pin, "Did that thing needing your care happen to be a 190 cm tall brunet starlet with a velvet voice?"

"Huh, maybe?" Kyoko answered distractedly, trying to wrap her head around that while not thinking about her night with Ren and simultaneously prepping herself for a shower.

Kanae finally took a good at the gleaming-eyed girl before her, noticing her state of dress and her mussed hair, and her neck, for that matter, and was fully distracted from her morning tasks.

"OH MY GOD. You SLEPT with him?"

"Shhhh, Moko-san. Not so loud!"

"What, are you afraid the neighbors will hear? I can't BELIEVE you had SEX with TSURUGA REN!"

Kyoko tried to cover her mouth, but Kanae ignored her and continued on with her rant.

"And after all this time! You denying everything for YEARS on end! You two have been glued at the hip for ages, practically married! Are you only just getting back?"

"Yes, I am. He just dropped me off."

Kyoko turned on the shower and stepped in.

"So," Kanae drawled, "how did it happen? What was it like?"

"Kanae! Are you really going to ask me that?" Kyoko shouted over the shower.

"Of course I am! It was your first time, wasn't it?"

"Of course it was! How can you even ask that?"

"Well, I don't know. You and Tsuruga have been sneaking around for ages, I had just thought that maybe…"

"Kanae!"

"So what happened to make you finally give in?"

"I don't know. It just sort of happened. Tsuruga-san told me he loved me and I didn't know what to do, but then I realized I loved him back––only I didn't want to––and so I went to yell at him, and he looked so broken, and then I was leaving and…I started it…" Kyoko's voice got lost in the drizzle of the shower.

Kanae was at a loss for words.

"It was sort of wonderful, I guess."

"It was sort of wonderful? You guess?"

"I don't know, what do you want me to say?"

"Is he any good?"

"Kanae!"

"Well?"

"How should I know? I've never slept with anyone else. It seemed pretty extraordinary to me."

"Are you two going out now? Are you officially his girlfriend?"

Kyoko's heart felt heavy with that question. She didn't know what they were doing. She didn't know what she wanted them to be doing. She had abhorred words like "boyfriend," "girlfriend," and "lover" for so long that she wasn't sure how she wanted to define the exquisitely unique feeling she had for Ren. In fact, Kyoko Mogami was terrified of where their relationship might be going. Okay, so it was kinda late for second thoughts, but she was really having a difficult time staying optimistic about love in general. However, she resolved to stick to her guns, finish what she'd started, and give this thing between her and Ren a decent shot. She didn't think he'd ever intentionally hurt her. He wasn't anything like Fuwa. And she loved him in a way she had never loved Shotaro.

Realizing that Kyoko probably didn't have an answer for her, Kotonami Kanae asked:

"But you love him?"

"Yes," came the soft reply.

"Well, he's been in love with you for ages. And I guess you trust him enough to sleep with him, so that's something. He'd better treat you well, or I'll personally see to his death."

"That's not something you need to worry about, Moko-san. He's been the perfect gentleman for as long as I've known him."

"Yeah, until now."

Kyoko stepped out of the shower, wrapped in a towel. Four minutes flat. She had always been amazingly efficient at such things.

"Ooh, if only Tsuruga Ren could see you now," Kanae teased.

Kyoko blushed, but didn't hide from it.

"There's no need. He's already seen everything."

"He hasn't already seen everything dripping wet."

Kanae was finally able to get back to the finishing stages of her toilette, her mind full of the revelations of the past ten minutes.

"You are at least ten times more stunning than I will ever be, Moko-san."

"Don't sell yourself short like that. You've really come along in the last few years."

And it was true. Instead of being just thin, Kyoko was now thin, tall, and curvy, with a tiny waist countered by actual measurable breasts and hips. She'd learned more of the fashion of the industry, grown her hair back out, and dyed it a more natural color. It helped her land roles when she didn't look so juvenile. She continued to have a fantastic complexion and her golden eyes had become her trademark. She still had almost hopelessly good posture and mannerisms, but had learned to counter them if needed.

Kyoko stepped into her bedroom to get dressed, and Kanae called to her from the bathroom.

"Whatever you two do, don't let the President find out. He'll go ballistic and then everyone will know. Although I don't think Tsuruga would mind that."

That sent Kyoko into a mild panic.

"The President! Moko-chan! What am I going to do!" she said, peaked her head out her room.

"Well, actually, there's probably nothing you can do to prevent him from finding out, short of killing him. Maybe you should just tell him yourself discreetly, and he'll get out all his love bugs quickly and keep quiet. If I figured it out in under two minutes, there's no way he won't know as soon as he sees you."

Kyoko squealed her dismay and raced back into her room, slamming the door in her terror. Kanae sighed.

"Well, at least you'll be fortunate enough to finally escape the horror of being a LoveMe girl," she called. She herself had been liberated from her indentured servitude––or "graduated," as the President liked to call it––about a year and a half earlier, having sufficiently proved her ability to love her audience.

Kyoko sat cross-legged on her bed and stared at her closet with the intent of choosing an outfit, but found herself staring into space. She didn't want everyone at LME to find out yet. She still needed to figure out what was going on, what she was going to do. She needed to discuss things with Ren. If everything was suddenly blown out of proportion, and with the President, that was pretty much guaranteed, then she wouldn't get the chance. The media would get involved, photographers, paparazzi, news anchors, interviews…

She just wanted to discover this new relationship with Ren. She wanted to learn how to be with him and keep her sanity. She wanted time alone with him, just for a while, before things exploded. Kyoko pulled her knees to her chest and curled into them.

The doorbell rang. Kyoko listened as Kanae's footfalls headed to answer it.

"Kyoko," she called, "its Ren."

* * *

_Hey fellows. You should totally review._

_Thanks._

_-theYellowDello_


	4. Chapter 4

A knock on the door. A doorbell ring.

Kanae stalked over to the door and swung it open.

"Tsuruga."

"Kotonami-san."

…

"Kyoko," she called, "its Ren."

Tsuruga Ren found himself in the unenviable position of facing Kyoko's best friend, who from the looks of it already knew everything. It was not surprising, given Kotonami's intelligence and general knowledge of Kyoko's behavior.

Kanae watched him in silence, arms folded, staring him down. Finally, she spoke.

"Kyoko's getting dressed. She'll be a moment."

Meanwhile, Kyoko sat frozen for a moment, before throwing herself into a frenzy of action, racing to her closet to dress herself, careful to select something tasteful and practical for the day. She quickly slipped on a floaty cream blouse and pair of black jeans before stepping out.

Kyoko, seeing the predicament Ren was in, swept past her defender and pulled Ren into the apartment by the hand. Kanae gave in with a resigned sigh and a soft, "Mo."

"Don't you need to be on set soon?" Kyoko asked her.

Not needing to be asked twice, Kanae swiped up her satchel and exited the apartment.

Kyoko looked up at the man who's hand she held. He grinned at her, which she returned, before he sobered up.

"I didn't get far before realizing that we need to figure out what we're going to do before going to work."

Kyoko understood his train of thought. "The President."

"Right. Among other things. We need to decide how we're going to behave at work."

"Is it alright if I continue getting ready while we talk? You can come."

"Of course."

He followed Kyoko to her bedroom. Having never been allowed inside before, Ren looked around the room curiously. It was fairly small and was simply decorated, painted a shade of cream but with an iridescent sheen. Across from the peach colored bed was a closet and a mirror. Kyoko sat cross legged on the floor in front of her mirror as she arranged her damp hair into a bun. He sat against the wall beside her mirror and watched.

"Not that the idea of people knowing bothers me, but I think it'd be easier for a while if we kept everything quiet. Do you think there's anyway we can keep the President from finding out just yet?"

He looked skeptical.

"Could we?" she asked again. "I mean, we should be able to. We're actors, after all."

Her hopeful look was so cute, and Ren felt very reluctant to spoil it.

"Kyoko," he said, placing his hand on her knee and looking at her seriously, "we're talking about the King of Love here. He knew I was in love with you before I knew it. Do you really believe we could hide something this big?"

No, they couldn't. She could only imagine what the President was going to do when he found out. What business did she have falling in love with Tsuruga Ren anyway? She didn't know what she was doing. She'd never even seen a romantic relationship work. Her gloomy thoughts of the difficulties ahead showed in her dispirited form and she sat hunched on the floor.

"What are we doing, Ren?"

He stood up and pulled her to her feet before gathering her forlorn figure into his chest gently, holding her tight. Her arms slipped around him and held him tightly.

"We're doing what we know how to do. We're doing what works for us. What's typical is not important. We be whatever we like, however we like. Will that work for you?"

Kyoko thought about that for a moment. She considered how important it was for him that they make this work. She was beginning to realize how critical it was for her to be with him as well. She could do it, right? If they just kept quite for a little while, she was pretty sure she could swallow this huge leap and learn to be truly happy for once. She had to try.

"I love you," she said, noticing how his breath hitched a little. "I'll do whatever it takes to be with you. It's going to take me some time, but I can do it if you can."

She looked up at him and he looked down at her. Their lips drew nearer as Ren whispered, "Thank you, Kyoko."

As they kissed, Kyoko took a moment to appreciate the man who'd trusted her with his heart. A hand ran over his perfect jawline as his lips pressed on hers, and another reached around his neck as she pulled herself closer. Their chaste kiss soon transformed into a passionate french kiss as they explored each other's mouths. The broke apart reluctantly. Ren rested his forehead on hers and stared into her golden eyes.

"So, what are we going to tell the President?" Ren asked.

"Maybe we should just call him. That way he can freak out over the phone and not cause a huge scene." Kyoko giggled at the thought. The President would probably be furious with them for giving him such important information over the telephone.

"Hnnn," said Ren as his lips began press kisses from her temple down to her neck, causing her to tremble lightly in his arms. "That's not such a bad idea."

"I can only imagine how that conversation would go. Actually, I don't think I want to."

Kyoko caught a glimpse of her clock.

"Ren, we really need to go."

"Do we really?" he said, kissing behind her ear. "We could just stay here."

"Ren!" she scolded, attempting her disentangle herself, "We can't just miss work."

"If you insist," he said, letting her go. She reached up and straightened his collar. He was practically glowing as he smiled down at her, hair mussed and lips red. He looked beautiful. There was no other word for such a being.

Kyoko gathered her things, and they headed out of the apartment.

* * *

_Hey Fellows._

_I'm sorry it's a bit short this time. It just wasn't going anywhere. Next chapter will go better, hopefully. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. It doesn't need to be long or at all significant, just leaving something helps me be motivated to continue. I'm lame like that. Thanks to those that have reviewed already. And a shout out to NightMinsk and her(?) encouraging enthusiasm. This wouldn't be here without her.  
_

_Cheers, _

_theYellowDello_


	5. Chapter 5

Kyoko and Ren were working on a new short drama together, along with Kanae, Momose-san, and the now pre-teen Maria. The project was called Quiet Intrigue and was directed by new director Ando Kanon. Kyoko was playing the role of Aoki Cho, a single mother of 28 with a daughter of thirteen, trying to keep afloat in the midst of a criminal investigation into the disappearance of her abusive ex-husband, Miyamoto Ryuu. Ren played the father of her child, Kouda Nao, who, after having vanished for thirteen years, has recently returned to Cho's life. Kanae was a detective in the investigation, Ono Akane, and Momose Itsumi played the current wife of Miyamoto, who eventually joins forces with Cho and Nao. Maria was debuting with her first role as Aoki Naomi, Cho's daughter. It was a deceptive and thrilling drama, as the audience slowly discovers Nao and Cho's conspiracy to murder her ex-husband and begin to root for them despite their crimes.

It had become common these days for a film or drama to feature both Kyouko and Tsuruga Ren. They worked well together, as anyone could see. What most people didn't see was how Kyoko and Ren each purposely selected movies the other might be in, in hopes of spending some time together in the hectic world of acting. Of course, Kyoko had been telling herself she only did it to watch her respected sempai––and friend––work so she could learn from him and make sure he actually took care of himself. She was certain that, if left on his own, he would shrivel away from neglect. The crew and the rest of the cast of Quiet Intrigue were being repeatedly amazed at how well they played off one another. It left many people with a severe inferiority complex.

Kyoko and Ren arrived on set at their normal time. No one thought anything of the fact that they arrived together. Each time they worked with a new crew, rumors began because of their close relationship and frequent synchronized arrival, but it happened so often––and there never seemed to really be anything between them––that it soon became ignored. They'd been spending inordinate amounts of time together for as long as anyone could remember, and while the more attentive people were suspicious, no one had seen them ever actually do anything other than enjoy each other's company. Tsuruga Ren and Mogami Kyoko were just chalked up to be one of those inexplicable phenomenons of life: two people who just went well together.

It wasn't difficult for them to seem natural, as if it were any other day. They were some of the best actors in the business, after all. They ran their scenes with the same professionalism as usual. Maria was off today, as she had a smaller part than the rest and there were laws against a child her age working too many hours.

Soon it was lunch break. The actors and most of the filming crew ate and chatted while the electricians, lighting technicians, and construction crew prepared for the next setup.

Kanae watched to see if the change in chemistry between Ren and Kyoko would affect their daily antics. Apparently, very little had changed, if one observed from afar. Off in their own corner of the break room, they were chatting amiably. Kyoko was clearly saying something crazy with a ridiculous amount of passion, eyes glazed over in her fervor, and Ren was struggling not to laugh and choke on his coffee.

They must have agreed not to let anything slip just yet, because they were each keeping their personal space, something Kanae had been skeptical that Ren could do. They were behaving too normally, and it was creepy.

"There's something different about those two."

"Hn?" Kanae looked up. Yashiro was standing beside her, looking at Ren and Kyoko.

"I mean, they're behaving really normally. But it's almost as if something is a tiny bit different today."

Kanae peered at the two lovers, looking for something she had missed. Then she spotted it.

"Ren is behaving the same as always," she said. He had the same possessive stance he habitually took around her friend. "It's Kyoko."

Watching them interact, Kyoko had previously been a little wary of Ren, considering him to be a danger to her iron defenses around her heart. While she had never been a person who you could exactly call unforthcoming with how she felt about things, now she seemed completely unreserved. Kanae found it unnerving how one night of passion could change Kyoko's entire outlook on love. Either it was freakish how quickly that girl was able to adapt, or this had been coming on for much longer than Kanae had been aware of.

"Do you know whether something happened between those two?"

Kanae stared at him. He didn't know? She had thought he rode with them to work today.

Yashiro caught her look of surprise.

"Something did happen?"

Realizing she was supposed to be helping keep the secret, Kanae said in her most indifferent voice, "Nothing that I know of. I thought _you_ would know."

"Hnn..." Yashiro muttered, unconvinced. "You know, I'm getting pretty sick of watching those two dance around their feelings. We should do something to get them together once and for all." It'd be nice to disturb that perfectly poised front of Ren's, Yashiro thought. It'd serve him right for being such a coward in the face of his love.

"Well, I'm not getting involved," said Kanae.

"Why not? They're clearly in love, but neither one will admit it."

"You forget that I don't like Tsuruga-san. I don't care about his happiness."

"But surely you care about Kyoko's?"

She glared at him for his unfair tactics.

"Well, what makes you so sure she's in love with him anyway?" she said, trying to lead him off track.

Actually, that was a good point, Yashiro realized. It was pretty difficult to tell with Kyoko. Love and respect and affection were all the same with her, it seemed. He began to wrack his brain for some kind of test for Kyoko's affection.

Meanwhile, the conversation at Kyoko and Ren's corner of the room took a more serious turn.

"The more I think about it, the less this whole secrecy thing appeals. It's annoying to have to keep up this 'personal space' thing. I think I just want to kiss you right now," Kyoko grumbled.

"Can't do that with everyone watching," Ren answered, smirking as he leaned against the wall. He probably didn't know it, but Kyoko found that to be one of his most alluring positions. She was convinced that all those photo-shoots of him reclining casually on a wall had given him some kind of sexy-leaning super-power.

"People pay too much attention to us," Kyoko bemoaned. "They would definitely notice if we slipped off for a few moments."

Even as she said it, six separate pairs of eyes were watching them interact.

"Now that's not a very japanese way of thinking. What has happened to your deep-rooted sense of decency?"

"Mmm." Kyoko bit her lip and scanned the room. She sighed.

"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought," she said. "We're already behaving abnormally. I don't think I've left your side since we got here, other than to change wardrobes."

"We'd better hope none of them can read lips, or we're in trouble already," Ren said.

"Good point. I guess I'll just have to stop talking to you."

And with that, she stalked off towards Kanae, turning back only to give Ren a teasing smile with a small flick of her auburn waves.

Ren resigned himself to the inevitable. She was right. They were too noticeable, and it would be better if they separated at least a little while at work.

* * *

Some hours later, work was over for the day, but they still had one thing they needed to do.

"You ready?" Ren asked her.

She had on her most determined expression.

"Let's go."

She reached for his hand and gripped it tightly as he knocked on the finely embellished golden door. The physical contact after a day of carefully avoiding it was soothing enough to get her through this.

The butler, Sebastian, answered inhumanly quickly, and the President's gaze turned to face them from his position on his sofa.

His eyes instantly zeroed in on their clasping hands. He gave a calm and sincere smile.

"It's about time."

And then he commenced to let out a shrieking fangirl squeal, rushing over to them, hugging them, congratulating them, all so quickly it was hard to keep up.

"Ren! You boring man! I can't believe you finally had the guts to declare your love! And Kyoko, you're glowing!"

Ren rolled his eyes. Kyoko blushed, tightening up a little uncomfortably, which he immediately noticed. He pulled her closer, so that his arm was around her waist, and she relaxed.

President Takarada began citing off extravagant proposals to throw them a celebratory festival as an expression of the everlasting bonds of love which would also double as a Love-Me Graduation ceremony for Kyoko.

"––so we must have canons! And the gold-armored elephant will give free rides––"

"President," Ren cut off, "you know how difficult it is to start a new relationship. Let us have a little peace for a while. You can throw your parties later."

To which Lory looked rather doleful, but accepted surprisingly graciously.

"What do you want to do about publicity?" he asked.

"Nothing, for now," Kyoko said. "We're going to take things slow for a little while."

Although, really, there was nothing slow about how things were going now.

After twenty more minutes of fussing, President Lory reluctantly let them take their leave. He wiped a few stray tears from his eyes, happy to see this triumph of love at last.

* * *

_Fellows._

_What's up? What did you like? What do you hate? Enquiring minds want to know. I've always been very proud of my dialogue, for example. You can complement me on that, or rip it apart. Whichever suits. Anyhoo...REVIEW!_

_-theYellowDello_


	6. Chapter 6

The resolve Kyoko had been building since waking up with Ren that pivotal morning, the resolve to put away her feeling of fear and daringly begin her romance with Ren, was only getting stronger. She was tired of running from love.

Ren drove them home from work. Kyoko felt bad about leaving Kanae alone for too many nights in a row, but they were at a point right now where they really could't stand to be away from each other. So it was either have Ren over to her apartment and disgust Kanae with their clingy-ness, or stay with Ren again. Tomorrow was Saturday, so there would be no hurry the next morning.

Ren opened the door and they stepped inside. As soon as they had set down their affects and removed their shoes, Ren pulled Kyoko into his arms from behind and let out a long breath. It felt very nice to be held after such a long day, Kyoko considered. She didn't think she'd ever get used to the way it felt to be in a relationship with Ren. The novelty of feeling in the darkness, fingers running through her hair, and to be touched as if she was the most precious thing. The way it felt to hold someone tightly and know that they felt the same had quickly become a feeling she never wanted to forget.

Kyoko was also pretty sure that without all the abstaining from physical contact today she wouldn't feel so bold now. Ren's lips met the right side of her neck as his arms slid up her waist into more dangerous territory, and she reached her right hand back to caress his face as his mouth moved across her skin towards her lips.

Several minutes of spooning later, Kyoko was abruptly overtaken by concern for his health and decided to make dinner. Irresponsible bachelors like Ren never did enough to ensure their own well-being.

One well-made meal later, they were lounging around the living area, studying scripts. Or more accurately, Kyoko was studying a script and Ren was staring at her, holding a script, lost in thought.

"I'm American," Ren said suddenly.

Kyoko put down her script in surprise.

"What? Really?"

He nodded, and she stood up and walked to him, golden eyes peering him over to examine him anew. Ren shifted a little uncomfortably under her scrutiny.

"But you must have some Japanese blood. You must be at least half," she said, tilting her head and squinting.

"I'm a quarter. Ms. Woods has done an excellent job with me. My father is half Japanese. He's an actor, actually."

"Really? Have I heard of him? If he's your father, he must be quite good."

"He is. You've met him," and thinking he might as well spill it all at once, Ren added, "Hizuri Kuu."

Her eyes swelled in astonishment as she considered the implications of this.

"Kuon."

He gave a quiet smile.

"That's me."

"But you look just like him! Otou-san, I mean. Well, except for the hair," she said, touching it. "I can't believe I didn't see it before."

"Yeah, about that. I'm naturally blonde."

Kyoko stared, and he chuckled.

"I've been dyeing it for years. I wear colored contacts as well."

She was having a hard time picturing it.

"What color are your eyes then?"

"Green."

Kyoko crinkled her forehead in puzzlement.

"Perhaps I should explain from the beginning."

And he began. It was a relief to finally be open about this. He told her about his parents, how they were a famous actor and model of the highest caliber. He told her about being a daddy's boy, about how his greatest wish was to become an actor as prominent as his illustrious father. Kyoko listened avidly, fascinated to finally have such an insight into Ren's past.

He commenced to tell her about his childhood, visiting Japan, and finally going to Kyoto. And then, of course,

"I used to run around the forest of the area to cool off when I was upset. I was very surprised when one morning I found a little japanese girl dancing around sweetly. When she mistook me for a fairy," he glanced at her, "I played along."

Her heart skipped a beat as she connected the dots. To his shock, a tear slid down her cheek as she looked at him.

"You're Corn."

He couldn't figure out if she was looking at him with betrayal or wonder. Well, whatever it was, it quickly shifted into relief. Odd.

"Corn! You're alright!" she said, throwing herself at him. She was trembling, but she placed her hands on his face, as if to make sure he was really there, before peppering him with chaste kisses.

"I was so worried!" she gasped, between pecks.

He would have told her sooner if he had known it mattered this much to her.

"I'm so sorry to have worried you so much," Ren said, stroking her hair. "I didn't mean to upset you."

It took several minutes before she began to calm down. She began to remember that this couldn't couldn't be the end of the story.

"What happened to you?"

His expression grew darker as he told her of his adolescent depression, how he had to leave before he went mad.

"Yes, I figured," she said as he held her tightly.

"You did?"

"Your scar, on your right wrist. You cut yourself. You've been covering it with your watch."

Ren had no idea when she had seen it, but he was somehow relieved that she already knew that one small detail, that she'd understood and accepted it.

"Also, you were leaking quite a bit of another person when we were doing the Heels. It was too real to be faked. I figured it had something to do with before you became Tsuruga Ren for acting."

Really, how was she so observant and insightful about that, and yet she never did figure out how much he loved her until he told her himself?

Voice shaking slightly, he told about Rick. He expected some kind of pronounced reaction at the fact that he was responsible for a man's death, but looking at her, she only seemed to be deep in thought.

"That doesn't disturb you?

"Ah! No. Not at all."

He looked at her like she was crazy, causing her to flush slightly and look to the side.

"It's just that," she explained, "when we were filming as the Heel siblings, it occurred to me that you probably had something like that in your past, and that it might be part of the reason for taking on a stage name. So I thought it was really brave of you, that you would have changed your life so much but then still be willing to go back and face your demons in order to fulfill a job."

He stared at her.

"You're not worried that I may have some murderous tendencies?"

What was wrong with this girl? She really had no sense of self-preservation.

"But I know I don't have to be worried! You would never do something like that to me. Besides, it sounds like it wasn't your fault. You were ganged up on. It was an were you supposed to do? Honestly, it's a miracle you were able to fight off that many and come out alive."

He gave her the most heartfelt kiss he could muster.

"Eh? What is this for?" she said.

"Out of all the people I know, you've seen me at my worst, and you still stay by my side. I'm a guy who's spent almost a decade hating my real self, and the woman I fall in love with doesn't even care that I used to be a horrible person. How are you so perfect?"

"You weren't horrible!" she declared, completely skipping over the complement.

"Ah, but I was."

"You could never be horrible! You were just lost."

"And now you've found me. I wouldn't have made it here without you, you know. I wouldn't have been able to act as Katsuki or B.J. without you."

"Well, I wouldn't have made it anywhere without you!"

"It's a good thing we found each other."

"Yes, it is."

* * *

_Hey my fellows._

_I got all kinds of tired of making this as good as I wanted it to be. Someday I may go back and shape it up a bit. But whatever. Hope you enjoyed it!_

_Cheers,_

_theYellowDello  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Oooooh ho ho ho, Yashiro mentally chuckled, a devious grin plastered across his face. It was perfect.

There was no way his plan wouldn't work.

He had recruited Momose-san to help, since she was just as convinced as he was that those two idiots were in love, and she also wanted to see them own up to it.

Stage one: Get Kyoko to realize she's in love with Ren. Of course, this would be done by making her jealous. Momose Itsumi would be seen by Kyoko noticeably flirting with Ren at what would look like a lunch date, but which would really be a "chance" meeting at a restaurant. That should do it.

Stage two: Get them to kiss. Honestly, all it should take was a shove into a locked storage room together, but Yashiro discerned that Ren was too much of a romantic failure to even take advantage of that perfect situation. So instead, the plot was to convince Kyoko that she had to get Ren to kiss her, or she would be unprepared for the soon-to-be-filmed romance scenes between her character and Ren's. If Momose-san mentioned it in rehearsal to get her all nervous and then he told her later that Ren wasn't sure about it but was too embarrassed (because of their long-standing friendship that he didn't want to disturb, not because he found her unattractive, and Yashiro would assure Kyoko that Ren had called her beautiful on a hundred separate occasions) to ask her to practice, although he wanted to. Surely that would be plenty to get Kyoko zealously chasing after Ren's kiss.

Yashiro unlocked and then enthusiastically ripped open Ren's dressing room door, intending to drag him off to lunch to begin his scheme.

But previously…

* * *

Kyoko struggled to get through her scenes that day with Momose Itsumi. It was already difficult because Ren had been off modeling for a shoot all day yesterday and today he wasn't needed on set and was rehearsing for an upcoming film. She had barely seen him while at work. And then when she and Itsumi-chan were working on their makeup before they started, Itsumi-chan was speculating out loud how it might be to kiss Ren in the drama, saying how she was a little jealous of Kyoko, and wouldn't Kyoko be nervous to do such an intimate scene with such a big star as Ren like that? Kyoko simply reminded Itsumi-chan that she was a professional and had done similar things before in other films, although none of them were quite as intimate as this one, and wasn't it inappropriate for Itsumi-chan to be thinking about and discussing their coworker in such a way?

So she was rightfully feeling a little possessive of Ren, and Itsumi-chan had gotten her all hot and bothered thinking about kissing Ren and the things that would lead to. Thus, when shooting was all finished for the day and she was free to go home, she instead chose to go meet up discreetly with Ren, who had an hour and a half break before a television interview.

All the covetous and possessive feelings were causing her to channel a bit of Natsu. Instead of knocking politely on Ren's dressing room door, she surreptitiously slid the key that no one but Ren knew she had into the lock and turned the handle.

The door opened to reveal a shirtless Ren, who was obviously in the process of changing outfits, and who was obviously surprised to see her, although not at all upset. He gave her a heavenly smile before noticing her Un-Kyoko-like posture and the hungry look in her eye. She didn't give him much reaction time before she deftly slid the door shut, clicking the lock shut.

She paused, staring at him seductively for a moment, and gave a tiny lick of the lips. Then she suddenly strode over to him and locked her lips over his. He caught on to her mood instantly and responded just as fervently as she had assaulted him. Their tongues intertwined as their kiss quickly became a battle for dominance. Kyoko nails dug into his skin as she clutched him. Kyoko took the lead, driving them over to the couch and pushing Ren down onto it, all without breaking the kiss. She perched on top of him, kneeling her legs on either side of him.

When Yashiro ripped open the door, Kyoko's shirt was off and she was kissing Ren's face territorially.

Needless to say, it was not what he'd expected.

Shocked at the situation, even more shocked that innocent Kyoko was behaving in such a way, and also strangely disappointed that his scheme would not be employed, he found himself unable to move.

Kyoko looked over and saw him, but apparently didn't mind enough to actually stop kissing Ren. It wasn't like Yashiro wasn't going to find out soon anyway.

Yashiro managed to revive himself, enough to step out of the room. Man, these two were actually a really scary couple. That this could be going on for who knows how long, and no one even knew about it, was pretty terrifying.

He dialed Momose-san's phone number after putting on his gloves. She answered promptly.

"Mission aborted," he told her. "It's not necessary."

And he hung up.

* * *

_This chapter is dedicated to NightMinsk._


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